Vanishing Point
by Faraway Dawn
Summary: In all humans there is a point within the mind where our memories begin to naturally fade, a vanishing point so to say. The only real problem is that his "vanishing point" seems to be much closer than it should be to the surface of the mind."
1. Prelude

Vanishing Point

By: Faraway Dawn

Disclaimer: Well here I am again with yet another random idea that seems to be going nowhere. Just take a wild guess who I intend to cause all sorts of hell for this time?

Well you know the drill. I own nothing but my computer and this random idea I call a fan fiction named Vanishing Point. Hope ya like it ….

FYI: A vanishing point is a point on the horizon where everything appears to recede into nothingness. (For people who did not know…or have not been in art classes for all eternity…)

Prelude

He was not sure how it had happened. It was all too sudden. One moment they were just there…eating like they always did at the same restaurant they always dined at. Then, it seemed as though a moment later none of it existed. _Was it another dream? Where was that place? Who was that woman?_ _Where am I?_

There was hardly a sound in the room, save the soft chirping of the machines he was hooked up to. Zechs watched the green lines move up and down measuring…_What does that machine do anyway? What's with all these machines? Why am I hooked up to all this ….stuff?_

He looked around the room, confused as to how he had arrived in such a strange place.

He would have looked more had he not felt as though he was being watched. Uneasy with the thought of some stranger he did not know watching him; he shut his eyes and faked sleep.

In another room, peering through the one-way glass was Lucrezia Noin. "He knows someone is watching him…"

The tall doctor shook his head slightly. "That's about all he knows now Miss Noin."

Noin bit her lip slightly and watched silently. _Zechs…_ "He…he may never remember anything you said?"

"That's right…" The doctor answered looking down at his charts. "We have one of the best teams looking after him, but one of my colleagues has told me that his condition is different. He gets progressively worse day by day. Normally, I would have suggested therapy that the two of you could attend until he began to show progress and regained some memories…."

"….But?"

"With his condition as it is Miss Noin, please try to understand, there is nothing we can do. I doubt anyone will be able to do anything."

Noin shut her eyes and rested her head against the glass. She would not believe it. There had to be a way. There had to be away to help him. _If there is a way…I will find it._She turned slowly and left the room to head home. She would stop by the next day and the day after that and the day after that. She would check on his progress or his deterioration. For better or for worse she would stay by his side.

Stepping out into the cool night air of the colony, she opened her cell and called Quatre. If anyone would know where to find Trowa, it would have to be one of his closest friends.

"Quatre…its Noin…I need to ask you something."


	2. Slipping Away

Vanishing Point

By: Faraway Dawn

Disclaimer: Yeah here I am yet again…I have told you all this at least 13 or so times I don't own Gundam Wing…I am just taking the characters for a bit of a joy ride. Besides, if I owned Gundam Wing you would know…and...Well...I would be rich...

I also do not own the poem that appears in this fic. A friend of mine wrote it and it fit in wonderfully with the story. Therefore, Cyllwen thanks much! I told you I would give ya the credit for it.

Haha anyway on with the fic...It has been a while since I updated anything.

CHAPTER1

Slipping Away

Quatre listened silently to Noin as she informed him about Zechs's condition. "You say he is getting worse? The doctor said there was no hope of recovery?" He asked her quietly, making certain to keep his voice steady and calm so that he would not cause her to panic.

"That's right…" Noin answered walking slowly down the sidewalk back to her apartment. Their apartment…they had been living together for about a week and then, then he started acting weird, different, perhaps just a bit more distant than usual. She noticed it got worse. He had even forgotten her name one day. Her recovered quickly from that incident but it got worse. Each day it happened after that. His little memory lapses caused her great concern. Why was it that he was forgetting? Why was it…that everything he was forgetting…had something to do with …her? "It seems like everything he is forgetting…has to do with me."

Quatre thought about her words. If Zechs was forgetting everything to do with her, then perhaps it was a bit more than simple amnesia. "What is it you need my help with? Tell me. I will help." Anyone could see how much she loved Zechs, even if Zechs himself had not seen it as quickly. Perhaps Trowa had been the first to notice….and he was the first to point out, rather bluntly according to Heero, that she would do anything for Zechs. Quatre had seen for himself what she had done in the Sanct Kingdom. She had defended it, protected Releena, and could very well have died doing it. She defined devotion as well as love.

"I need to know where Trowa is." She said clearly. "He suffered and recovered from amnesia…with help…maybe…just maybe he can help me. Maybe he knows something that will help me help Zechs." She paused and considered what she had just said. "I know that it sounds naïve…maybe even foolish, but you see Quatre, I need to know why, I need to help him, and I think I am the only one who can."

Quatre agreed with her and began to look through a small notebook. He was, if anything, the information center of the Gundam Pilots. "Alright, Trowa, it seems he is currently heading for the L2 colonies…probably the one Duo and Hilde are on. The circus is scheduled to arrive there in about an hour. You could make it if you take one of the last flights out. You are in the new Mars colony aren't you?"

Noin nodded to herself. "Yeah…I didn't really want to leave the colony though…" And with good reason. What if Zechs got better while she was gone or…what if he had gotten worse?

"Would you like me to contact him? I am sure he wouldn't mind going to your colony." Quatre laughed slightly. "Trowa had expressed concerns about Duo showing up every night at the circus…he said he was worried Duo would make more money than the circus…with his antics."

Noin laughed softly. Yes, Duo was the jokester of the Gundam Pilots but he was the perfect one to talk to when you just needed to be cheered up. "Understandable. Could you do that for me Quatre? I really need him to see Zechs before I know if he will be able to help."

Quatre smiled and sent an e-mail to Trowa. "Sure…consider it done."

Trowa looked slowly through his mail. _Nothing special really._ He noted. Duo and Hilde were throwing a party…._Good grief…Are they trying to destroy a colony?_

Wufei and Sally were back from their mission and were celebrating Wufei's birthday. The image of Wufei grumbling while a lighted birthday cake was set in front of him and tons of people singing "Happy Birthday" in singsong voices made him laugh.

Then there was a message from Heero. Releena was going to be arriving on the colony later that week. If there was time, she wanted to stop by. Trowa knew that it was really Heero who wanted to stop by but it just was not his style to go saying 'I'd like to see you…lets talk, catch up, have some fun.'

Then there was an e-mail from Quatre. Trowa read it silently, then, midway through the first paragraph he froze. "Zechs has…amnesia?" He whispered before continuing. _Noin want's my help…so...I guess she figures I can help because I had amnesia…but...I hardly remember it…it was like being in a thick cloud of fog..._ Trowa sent a message back to Quatre. He would do what he could, but he was not sure if he would be of any help.

After getting permission to leave, though he thought it was somewhat foolish being a former Gundam Pilot and asking for permission to go to another colony, he boarded the last flight to the new Mars colony. Noin would be at the hospital with Zechs. Trowa decided he would watch first, to see how Zechs reacted to things, check his medical records, and then try to get him to interact and remember him. The thought of failure crossed his mind. Noin would be devastated if this failed. If anything, she loved Zechs too much. He had always believed that her love for Zechs would either get her killed, or land her heart broken. He tried to push such thoughts from his mind. The last thing he needed to do was jinx the "operation" before it had begun.

_Slipping_

_Slipping_

_Mine is slipping_

_My mask of crafted steel_

_I seem to fall as it hits the floor_

_I can't hide me anymore_

Zechs sat in his bed watching the machines again. It was an odd place to say the least. Everything seemed to make noises. Nothing was quiet. He did not understand why. Everything seemed familiar to him yet, he was certain he had no idea where he was much less who he was. He looked out the window of his room. His bed was right next to it. Below…whatever the building he was in was called…. were what looked like stars, at first anyway. He saw them move too quickly to be stars. _A city…I think…_ He watched the lights move below, some growing brighter and some fading into the distance. His eyes darted to the dark window on the other side of the room. The one who had been watching him was gone. He could sense it. He glanced at a man who came in wearing plain clothes and a white jacket. He was instructed to lie down and shut his eyes. The man would be testing..._What did he call it? _

"Yes your vitals seem to be fine… heart is good and strong, breathing is good, and it seems you are doing fine Mr. Merquise."

_ Merquise?_ Zechs stared at the man completely confused. _He must be talking about me…there isn't anyone else in the room_. "Me?" Zechs asked quietly.

"Yes. Your name is Zechs Merquise." The doctor said quietly to him. "You still do not remember do you?"

_ Remember what? What am I supposed to be remembering?_ Zechs simply shook his head. Itwould help if he knew what it was he was supposed to be remembering. "Sorry…" He said looking back out the window. "Everything is…kind of fuzzy."

The doctor made a note on his clipboard. At least he was speaking now. It was a sign of improvement. He knew that something was wrong, hence the apology. He also knew that he could not remember what was wrong with him. He had used the term "fuzzy"; often a good sign that the patient knows that there is something wrong with their mind or memories. "A nurse will come to check on you in a little while. She will just check your vitals…pulse, heart, lungs, everything I just did." The doctor stopped however at the dazed look on the patient's face.

"Everything…you just…did?" Zechs asked the tone of pure confusion in his voice. "When did you come in?"

The young doctor was at a loss for words. Not many cases, hardly any were this severe. He had already forgotten something that had happened only a few minutes before, and not only that, he did not have the flash of recognition in his eyes that most patients have when they recognize something, the white jacket, or the nametag. Zechs again had no idea where he was…or why. "Someone…will be in to check on you in awhile." The doctor said calmly and left the room without another word. He glanced at the young woman watching Zechs silently. "We told you…there really isn't much we can do…"

"I know" She answered and walked slowly into the room.

_Stop_

_Stop the cameras_

_The real me is too weak to see_

_I can't let you know _

Noin walked quietly to his bedside and sat slowly in the chair that was next to it. "Hello…Zechs." She said softly watching as he turned his head slowly to her. His eyes were so blank, lost, and empty; they were not the eyes that she knew. They were the eyes of a broken man. They eyes of one who had finally fallen beyond reach. They replaced the eyes filled with life, wisdom, courage, and passion.

It caused her pain to see his beautiful eyes that way. It caused her pain to see him that way. To see the man she loved so lost and confused…it brought tears to her eyes. She looked down at the blankets and forced them down. Tears would not help the situation. In fact, tears would only confuse him further.

Finally, he answered. His voice soft even a bit frightened. "Are you the one here to check on me? They said…I think they said someone would be in to check on me." He watched the woman nod her head yes.

"My name is Lucrezia…" She watched for the signs of recognition. They never came so she continued. "I am here to watch over you until you fall asleep. If you would like…I can stay longer though." She was surprised to see him nod.

"I would…like that. The other people…they just leave me in here alone…you are the first one who has offered to stay." Zechs said glancing out the window. Whoever the woman was, she was beautiful. She seemed familiar, just like everything else; unfortunately, just like everything else, it was impossible for him to remember how and why she was familiar. "Lu...Lucrezia…was it?"

"That's right." Noin answered watching his movements. Slow and cautious, just like the old Zechs.

"Your voice…I think…I have heard it somewhere." _But where? Where did I hear it? Why does her voice sound familiar? Why do I feel calm with her in here and since I feel calm, why is my heart pounding?_ He slowly looked at her. "I have...seen those eyes before."

Noin's heart leapt at the notion. He might be remembering. He might be getting better. Everything would be ok. Then…she watched in pain as he lifted his hand to his forehead, shook his head slightly, and asked her to repeat her name. Again, he had slipped away from her.

_How I feel_

_How I feel_

_Confused_

_Haunted and alone_

_Strange faces flow past my window_

Her eyes looked so sad as he asked her quietly to repeat her name. She softly whispered "Lucrezia" through what he knew to be tears.

"I…didn't mean to make you cry…" He said quietly looking down. "It…it just gets so hard…it seems to get worse…" _For some odd reason…it gets worse when I look at you…_

"It's alright Zechs…don't worry about it." Noin said quietly wiping her eyes. When she looked at him for a moment…Zechs was there again. She could see the fire in his eyes and again she watched as it vanished. She prayed that Trowa would get there soon…before he was lost forever.

Zechs lay down slowly and watched her. Something about her…perhaps it was her eyes…made him feel at peace. She had gentle eyes. Eyes that seemed to radiate the warmth he sensed from her. How long had it been since he had seen eyes like that? He was not sure. _Her eyes are like jewels…they sparkle…perhaps that sparkle I am seeing though…is her tears…like stars against the violet velvety sky…_ His own thoughts amused him. _Since when have I been a poet?_ He watched her write something in a notebook. Words that looked familiar to him. _Releena, Heero, Trowa, Quatre, Wufei, Duo, Hilde, Dorothy, Une, Treize, Noin, Sally…_ and after that, a long list of names he did not recognize. For some reason…the first twelve on the list seemed to call to him. Without thinking, he spoke one of the names. "Lucrezia Noin…that's you…right?"

Noin stopped and looked at him. She had not told him her last name was Noin. All she had told him was Lucrezia. Something in him told him that her last name was Noin. Something in him just knew, at least, she hoped so anyway.

She nodded. He felt happy. He had remembered…somehow that she was Lucrezia Noin. _Now…can I remember until morning? _He hoped so. Her tears had, for some odd reason, caused him pain.

Noin waited until Zechs had fallen asleep before looking to the door and nodding for the person watching to come in. "Thanks for coming Trowa…"

"No problem…he seems to like having you near…but…"

"The closer I am to him the worse he seems to get…" She gently pushed Zechs's bangs out of his face.

"Perhaps then his recession is more than just simple amnesia…if it all is linked some how to…to you…then you are the one that will have the answers as to how we help him recover. If you would like me to stay and help…I will." Trowa said quietly. Zechs, though at one point he had been an enemy, was now a friend, and more than that, there was someone who needed him. He glanced at Noin as she gently took Zechs's hand and held it. "You really do love him very much…don't you?"

She nodded and glances at Trowa with a sad smile. "Yes. Ever since the day I met him…I knew he was the only one for me…" She looked back at Zechs and shut her eyes. "He only told me he loved me once…" Trowa watched silently as tears formed in her eyes and slowly slid down her cheeks. "…two days before he completely forgot me…" Trowa was silent. He had no words of comfort to offer. He had never been in that situation.

"I will help you however I can…"

"Thanks Trowa…" Noin watched Zechs shift slightly in his sleep and prayed silently that he was not being plagued by nightmares.

_I steel myself against the cold_

_I plow through the drifting snow_

_A speck on the white is all I am_

_I don't even feel like a man_

It was dark, wherever he was. He heard people's voices but could not see the people. Slowly, he walked forward and shielded his eyes as light flooded his view. There were people hundreds and thousands of them. All of them walked by him. It was as though he were simply part of the crowd. He walked through them, feeling odd, feeling different. Then he saw her. That same woman who he had seen only…._how long ago was it?_ She was standing in the center of the crowd and he fought to get closer to her. However, the closer he got, the farther away she seemed. He ran faster but she kept slipping from his view. Who was the woman he was chasing after? Why did she keep disappearing…and…_Why do I feel like I am the one who is disappearing?_ Zechs awoke suddenly and looked around. The room was silent and she was asleep in the chair, her hand in his. _Who…who…is she?_ He tried to think but her name would not come to him. He vaguely remembered seeing the woman cry and vaguely remembered asking her name again. _But what is her name? Why can't I remember it?_

He silently cursed his memory. The least it could do was work properly when he needed it to. Zechs watched the woman sleep silently. He felt broken. Gently, he brushed the woman's raven colored bangs away from her face and felt his mind freeze again. It was happening and this time it was worse…

_Cracking_

_Cracking_

_Mine is cracking_

_My mask of painted glass_

_I seem to split as it shatters_

_Nothing is as it seems anymore_

AN: WELL…That's all for now! Man this took me awhile. Must get back to working on Mortal Fear. Juggling two fan fictions is not easy. I don't know how some people can do it. Heh and some people do more don't they? Gosh …oh well check up on this! I don't know when I will be done with the next chapter.

Major thanks to all the reviewers so far….if it weren't like…1 AM...I would do individual messages to you but I so need some sleep. So perhaps next time. Later all and good night…or...Morning…or day depending on when you are reading this -


	3. Silent and Willful Oblivion

Vanishing Point

By: Faraway Dawn

Disclaimer:…I own nothing….just my computer and random ideas. Although Gundam Wing and all its characters belong to its respective owners…I am again borrowing the characters. Maybe this time they will return…unharmed…maybe…

Chapter 2

Silent and Willful Oblivion

Zechs waited for the strange sensation to pass. The icy gripping feeling deep within his mind and heart frightened him, and the fact that he remembered less and less after each episode frightened him more. _What about her makes me forget things? Is it even she that makes me forget? Or…is it…something else?_ As he contemplated the circumstances surrounding his strange inability to remember and his frightening ability to forget, Zechs again felt the presence of another. Someone again was watching him, but this time the person watching him did not radiate the same gentle and loving glow as the woman beside the bed had. Either the person behind the glass was a mystery to all around him, or he was simply very good at projecting a mysterious aura…an aura that made Zechs feel a bit uneasy.

Behind the glass, Trowa watched silently. It was obvious to him that Zechs truly had no idea why he could not remember anything. Slowly, Trowa looked at Noin. All of what was happening had something to do with her. From what he had witnessed and from what Noin had told him, Zechs seemed to get worse near Noin. _Truly perplexing…it is common for those suffering from amnesia to forget everything…and there are rumors that someone or something seems to be the epicenter of it. __However, no one seems to know what happened to cause it…and maybe the only one who does know cannot help us…_ If Zechs was the only one who truly knew what had caused the sudden amnesia, there was little to no chance at all of helping him. _At least if what the doctors said was true...they said they had never seen a case as severe as this…_

Eventually, Trowa stepped into the room. Zechs' puzzled and even mildly alarmed expression was expected. Therefore, Trowa stayed where he was and introduced himself. "Hello Zechs…I don't think you remember me do you?" Trowa waited silently until Zechs shook his head. "I am Trowa Barton; I'm a friend of hers." Trowa gestured to Noin. Zechs stared at him. The eyes Trowa would have once described as piercing were now almost childlike in their innocent confusion. "Do you mind if I sit down?" Trowa asked nodding to a chair. Zechs looked at the chair for a moment before replying 'Go ahead'. Trowa crossed the room slowly and took a seat near the wall. He watched Zechs for a few minutes before asking, "Do you mind if I ask you a few things Zechs? It's ok if you don't know the answers to any of my questions…"

"I don't mind…" There was a note of hesitance in Zechs' voice.

"Good...Tell me Zechs…do you care for that young woman?" Trowa gestured again to Noin while watching Zechs intently.

"I…well…." Zechs glanced down at the young woman sleeping. _Do I care about her? IF I do care about her…why do I? It's not like I can even remember who she is…or how I even know her…_" …I think so." He said finally. Zechs lifted his head slowly and looked at Trowa.

"Do you know why you care about her?" Trowa continued. _It is good that he at least is faintly sure that he cares about her…_

"Not really….I just think that I know somehow…that I do care about her…"

"Do you want me to tell you more about her?"

"Could you?"

Trowa nodded. "I can tell you almost anything you want to know about her."

"Tell me…where do I know her from?" Zechs said quietly. He did not want to wake the woman at his side. Not when she looked so peaceful there…sleeping…dreaming…

"You two are very close friends. Her name is Lucrezia Noin and she was an OZ solider just like you. You two were the top students in Lake Victoria Military Academy history."

Zechs stared at Trowa in awe. "I was a soldier? I went to a military academy? I was a top student?"

"According to your records at the school….you were 'the' top student." Then something Trowa did not expect…Zechs shook his head.

"No…that's not right…I couldn't have been…"

Trowa tilted his head slightly. "What do you mean you …couldn't have been?"

"….She was…she…held back…so I could…I could be the best." Zechs' eyes wandered briefly to Lucrezia Noin. _I made it through that place…because of her…_ "How close…are we?"

_Changing the subject a bit…alright then…_Trowa smiled only slightly. "Closer than friends…you both would have denied it to each other's faces a year or so ago…but just by how you two acted with each other, I think anyone could have told you it was obvious you two were in love. However, due to your inabilities to communicate that, it seemed like it was destined to be unrequited love on both ends. Until one day..."

"In…in love?" Again, Zechs' eyes fell upon Noin. _I …I loved her? She…loved me?_ "Unrequited? Until...one day? One day when?"

"About a week before you forgot all of this…you told her…that you loved her. Or so I have heard. Your younger sister, Relena, said something about Noin being so happy she was crying when they spoke."

"I told her I loved her…wait…a sister? I have a sister!" _Why didn't I remember my own sister!_

"You do…but I can tell you more about her tomorrow. You should really get some sleep."

"Will you…tell me more about Lucrezia…also?"

"If you would like." Trowa slowly rose from his chair and began to turn when something crossed his mind. _He remembers things when prompted…but forgets soon after…by tomorrow, he will not even remember what I told him about Noin…but he might remember Relena…everything revolves around Noin. Something happened between them. Something he wanted to forget, but it got out of control I bet…instead of forgetting one thing, he began to forget everything._ "Zechs…can you remember what that woman by your side is called?"

Again, the icy feeling gripped him. No name would come to him. Hadn't Trowa just said her name a few minutes ago? _Trowa? Who is Trowa? I do not know anyone by that name…_ Now that he thought about it, that man in the room, he did not recognize him at all. Zechs began to shake slightly. Nothing was making sense. The man who entered his room, the woman at his bedside, why he couldn't remember their names or even how they got there in the first place…_Why? Why can't I remember?_

"It's ok if you can't remember Zechs….try to get some rest…maybe it will come to you in the morning." With that, the young man left the room.

So, hesitantly, Zechs laid back down and shut his eyes.

There it was…the same as before. It was the same dream that had woken him up. The same crowd, the same faceless beings walking past him and her walking further and further away. Why his mind kept showing him this in his sleep was beyond him. What was the purpose? Was he supposed to keep walking with the crowd? Was he supposed to chase after the woman? What would he find if he caught up to her? Would it fill the void in his mind and in his heart? Such things he could only wonder as he slipped further and further into the dream.

Outside of the room, in the hall, Trowa spoke with the young doctor.

"I'm telling you boy you must be mad! Willing himself to forget!"

Trowa simply stared at the man coolly. He was quite used to having people yell in his face in surprise, it didn't affect him the way it might have affected others. "And I am telling you Doctor…that's exactly what is going on. Something happened that he wanted to forget. He wanted to forget so badly that he willed himself to forget…it simply got out of control."

"Absolute nonsense!" The doctor countered, no way in hell was a boy with no medical experience going to tell him what was going on with his patient.

"You and your team found no physical injury to explain his amnesia…right?" Trowa said still staring the doctor in square in the eye. The man was obviously too proud to admit that Trowa's explanation made a hell of a lot more sense than his own. "Neither he or his family have had any cases of amnesia and to top it of, He can remember things when prompted…but forgets them as soon as someone asks him to remember Miss Noin."

The doctor remained silent. The boy's theory, much to his displeasure, made perfect sense. "….Our medical team found absolutely no injury to explain his amnesia…" the doctor began, speaking through clenched teeth. " We also found no evidence that anyone in his family suffered from a similar condition. All his tests are normal and he seems to be perfectly healthy….apart from the fact that he can not remember things."

Trowa waited silently for the doctor to continue. There was obviously more….there just had to be more.

"…However…when we checked his records we found that he had been in here about two and a half weeks ago."

Trowa tilted his head slightly. "What did he come in for?"

"He brought Miss Noin in…he was in a state of total panic. There were two other people with him…they identified themselves as Preventers. One called herself Water; said she was a doctor. The other was a woman…brown eyes, brown hair…said something about being Miss Noin's boss…"

"Une was it?" Trowa asked now completely intrigued by the doctor's statements.

"That was it…" The doctor glanced into the room quickly. "They brought her in with a gunshot wound. The bullet passed right through her…missed her heart. She needed minor surgery for the punctured lung but she recovered pretty fast. Mr. Merquise was so frightened the whole time we thought we should get one of our shrinks to look after him for a bit. He kept rambling about not being careful enough. He kept saying 'It should have been me' and 'Why didn't I check the base more thoroughly.' I was told they were both Preventers and had been on a mission."

So Noin had been shot…_But who shot her?_ Trowa wondered after glancing back into the room. _How did she manage to recover so quickly? A gunshot wound requiring surgery should have caused more trouble than that. She should still be wearing bandages…she should have a hard time breathing._ "You are one hundred percent sure of all this? You are certain she was shot?" Trowa said glancing back at the doctor.

"Absolutely…I could show you the records if you would like. I could even let you talk to the surgeon-"

"That won't be necessary. I just cannot imagine how she could be moving about so easily if she sustained a gunshot wound that punctured a lung…She should be having much more difficulty breathing. "

The doctor shook his head. "Medical science has advanced a good deal in the past year. We have better drugs to help with pain and discomfort and our procedures are more effective. She recovered in a few days. The most she will have to show for it is a faint scar…and her skin is so light you would never see it anyway."

Trowa listened silently and tried to piece things together. Had Zechs shot her accidentally? Had someone else been in the base and had they shot her? Why shoot Noin though? Zechs was easily the much more appealing target. Zechs had a bad habit of making people hate him. A former member of OZ, leader of the White Fang, and now a Preventer..._Perhaps Noin was not the intended target…_ It was a revelation in itself. Noin had not been the target…whoever fired the gun was aiming for Zechs. She must have known what was about to happen and put herself in the line of fire. It was something she would do for Zechs…

The more Trowa thought about it, the more it made sense. He felt he had not been careful enough, that it should have been him, and that he should have checked the base more thoroughly. He felt guilty. "His guilt must have driven him mad…each time he looked at her he remembered what had happened to her, and he kept telling himself it should have been him instead. It just got to be too much to bear…so he forced himself to forget the incident…and somehow forgot her too."

The young doctor stared at Trowa in confusion. _What is this kid rambling about now?_ "What on earth are you-"

Trowa looked at the young doctor. "I'm going to need to know where the dispatch that picked them up was sent to."

"Like I would know! This entire colony is safe…it is not as if we have bases full of rebels here. It would have had to be elsewhere."

"Where elsewhere?" Trowa said staring the doctor in the eye. Obviously the doctor had no idea how much was at stake here. Someone had tried to kill Zechs and had injured Noin in the process. Zechs was now unable to remember things and would be vulnerable. For all the doctors knew the one who had tired to kill him could walk in here and claim to be an old friend and Zechs would not be able to argue otherwise. "You had best tell me…I require the information…and if need be I will have an expert hacker crack your record system in two. So tell me…or have your system trashed. It is completely up to you."

"Hey kid do you have any idea what you are saying! I can't just hand out confidential information like that!"

"Oh? A few minutes ago, you offered to show me Miss Noin's hospital file and you even were willing to let me talk to her surgeon. Last I knew, that was considered confidential information."

"…Talk to the operators downstairs. They are in charge of dispatch and call tracing." The doctor wrote up a quick note and signed it. "Give that to the woman at the font desk, Katirina is her name, she's the one who'll let you look at the records."

Trowa snatched the note and turned to head to the elevators. "Thanks…I appreciate it."

As Trowa headed downstairs Zechs awoke again. His heart was still racing from the dream and his head felt fuzzier than ever. She was still there at his side. She was still asleep and looking as peaceful as ever. _What was that terrible sound?_ Zechs thought staring at the woman beside his bed. _I can still hear it echoing…_ Staring at her, he heard the noise grow louder in his ears. It sounded like thunder, thunder that would not stop. The sound was deafening. He looked around but no one seemed to hear it. She was still asleep; no people were rushing into his room. Was it just another trick his mind was playing on him or was it a memory? _What kind of memory would make such a terrible-_ Then he heard it…her voice…a scream…his own voice echoing. Again, he looked around. Nothing had made the sound. _So where is it coming from? Why won't it stop? _He started to shake. His entire body was trembling. Was it out of fear or something else? It could not be fear…he did not even know what the sounds were. For what reason should he be afraid?

His eyes narrowed slightly. It was giving him a headache. The sounds would not stop; the thunder and the screams were relentless. Why would thunder cause such screams? _Thunder…why thunder? Thunder…_ His eyes widened slightly. He glanced at a book near the bedside. One she had brought in. It was a collection of short stories, Science Fiction according to the book's back cover. He picked the book up slowly and looked it over. There was the title that had caught his eye. 'A Sound of Thunder'

Zechs read the story quickly. The sound of thunder heard at the end of the story…it was a gun shot…was that the same sound he was hearing? He looked at the woman at his side. Had he shot her! His eyes looked her over. She had no obvious injuries. Was it all just a bad dream? Slowly Zechs laid back down and shut his eyes. He could hear it still…the sound of a gun and her screaming. He tried to sleep, preferring the dream of faceless figures to the terrible sounds of the gun and her scream. Why was this happening to him? What had happened to her? Why was there a pit in his stomach that made him feel as though it had all been his fault...whatever it was that had happened? He sighed slightly and waited for the darkness of sleep to take him.

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AN: Ok that is it for now! Oh, man it has been a year since I updated huh? Well I guess Vanishing Point is way over due for its new chapter. I hope you all enjoy it and keep sending the feedback! You would be amazed how much more I get done when I get a new review.

On to the shout outs!

**karina **– I'm glad you like it so far. I hope you like the new chapter.

**soulfulbee**- Hehe…glad to see you think this will be interesting…It has certainly been interesting for me…I've never done an amnesia fic before. Actually…this is only my second fic…shh! Do not tell anyone.

**The Tiramisu Of Impending Doom**- I love the new name! It certainly caught my attention. I am glad you like the story and hopefully you will like this chapter. Trowa is going to have a major role in this I think…you know just a slight possibility -

**Chibi Tsuki**- Wow…what a nice review! I recommend a few tissue boxes…I think I am going to try to make a few people cry…just a fair warning. I hope you like the new chapter and hopefully I did not slack off on my writing style.

**tweety**- Sorry this update took so long…hehe…I have been suffering from severe writers block since I started Mortal Fear. Writing two fics must be draining my brainpower. I am happy that you think I did a good job on the amnesia…I was doing some serious random guesswork with it…getting a review like yours seriously boosts the confidence of a writer. I hope I have done a decent job on this chapter. Hopefully a new chapter will be out within a month or two…

**Jackie**- I am so grateful you pointed out that I misspelled Relena. I probably would have never noticed it. I hope I did not misspell anything in this chapter. has quit trusting spell-check I'm glad you like it so far and I hope you like the new chapter.

**sydney**- Here you go…more! Enjoy!

**Mellonin of Calencristiel **– haha…I am hard to get a hold of aren't I? I guess it's a bit late to help you out…sorry…but do tell…do you like the new chapter?

**Ayabyssinian**- Here is a new chapter! It really took me a good while to update but I think the next chapter will be out a lot sooner. I this story stays interesting for you. I do so love when people like my stories - Hope to see another review from you.

**Ahn-Ri**- Howdy you! I told you I would write an amnesia story eventually. I guess it took a lot longer than I thought though. I'm glad you like it and …hehe lucky you I updated! If you write a fic I'll be one of the first to review so when you do drop me a line and I will review it. Go for it and hope to hear from you again.

Did I get everyone from this chapter? Yes! Whoa…..good. Well night all…I'm so sleepy. I really have to quit writing so late at night. I hope to have a new chapter for Mortal Fear up in a month or so and hopefully I can get another chapter of Vanishing Point up. I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter and I look forward to seeing reviews from you all again. Reviews really do make the writer's world go round! Good night to you all and I'll see ya later…

-Faraway Dawn


	4. Recollection

Vanishing Point

By: Faraway Dawn

Disclaimer: Well here I am again with yet another random idea that seems to be going nowhere. Just take a wild guess who I intend to cause all sorts of hell for this time?

Well you know the drill. I own nothing but my computer and this random idea I call a fan fiction named Vanishing Point. Hope ya like it ….

AN: I know I know I know it's not that long. My sincerest apologies for the delay in updating. When my computer crashed all my files got wiped I've had to rewrite a lot of it from memory so things have been slower than I would have liked. Hopefully anyone still reading this will leave me a review to urge me to keep writing.

Recollection

A month passed, in which Zechs remained in the hospital. He had his lapses, brief recoveries, and again he'd slip beyond their reach. Trowa was getting fed up with the leads he had managed to fragment together getting nowhere.

"I don't know what to do. All I've managed to figure out from all this is that Noin was injured, no, no Quatre, it wasn't anything remotely serious, it just looked it." Quatre was on the line and Trowa sighed. _Long-distance fees be damned. _If Quatre wanted to be kept updated, Quatre was going to be kept updated.

"So how what about the lead regarding their mission? Did it turn up any clues? Someone obviously wanted to do one of them in."

"I'm going to look into it Quatre. On to worse matters though…"

"Things get worse??"

"They're planning to release Zechs from the hospital." Trowa waited. _3...2...1..._ He pulled the earpiece away from his head and waited.

"What?! In his condition?!" He heard Quatre yell clearly through the phone, although the earpiece itself, was a good distance from his head.

"They want to release him into Noin's custody."

"What good will that do?! You said he seems to get worse around Miss Noin."

"I think they're just annoyed that they don't have an answer yet. So they're hoping if they shove him off onto her, things will get easier for them." Trowa said glancing down at his watch. 1310, Zechs was being released at 1500. He still had a bit of time to do some poking around, before Noin would have to deal with a man who could not remember her living with her.

Trowa typed as fast as he could it was 1458 still no information had been turned up about who had been present during their mission. _No information regarding attendance nothing…Who doesn't keep records on this crap? _He glanced at the clock. 1500. Trowa sighed deeply in frustration. Noin was in for some hell tonight.

* * *

"Now Miss Noin just sign here. Yes right there. You understand he will be released into your custody now?"

Noin sighed in annoyance. "Yeah I understand. Even though he needs help. Kinda sad that the medical community gets so bothered when they can't find answers that they dump someone off onto the very person who sought help for them in the first place."

"M-Miss Noin we've done all we can. We can not find any physical or psychological cause for this. He has not sustained any severe injury, all our investigations into his mental health have shown him to be mentally stable-"

Noin snorted. _Zechs? Mentally stable? Those are three words that should never be in the same sentence._

"…From what we can see Miss Noin, he does not like being here. He keeps asking when he can leave. He seems uncomfortable in the hospital, we simply feel that he may have a better chance recovering with you."

"And all the doctors have signed off on this?"

The doctor nodded. "My supervisor is in fact the one who recommended this."

Noin finished signing the papers. "Great. Good to know. One more idiot in the medical community…" _Why the hell did you have to go into the Preventers Sally? The world needs an intelligent doctor. _She waited in silence while the doctor handed the papers to a resident and asked them to bring Zechs out.

It was a few minutes wait. Zechs apparently was not giving the young resident an easy time.

"Please sir, you have got to come with me." She could hear him pleading down the hall.

"I'll move when you tell me where you're taking me." Well, that sure sounded like the old Zechs.

"You're being released today sir, Miss Noin is waiting for you."

"Released?"

"Please sir just keep walking! You're making this far too difficult!"

"Where will I be going?"

Noin chuckled slightly. Zechs did make things far to difficult. He could turn an easy chess game into the longest five hour game in existence. He could very easily complicate a very simple recipe, and he did that quite often. Always producing superior results of course, but still, it was a gift he had…to complicate things.

"Home!" She heard the resident nearly cry in frustration.

She glanced at the doctor and crossed her arms. "Do you want me to go give that resident a hand?"

The doctor rubbed her head in frustration. "If it wouldn't be too much trouble."

Noin pushed herself off the counter and walked down the hall. _It's not like it's hard to get Zechs to do anything…if you know what to do._ "Zechs, ready to get out of here?" she smiled at him slightly.

She noted that he still had that slightly bewildered expression. He still had no idea exactly who she was. The resident however, noted with frustration, that Miss Noin was having far better luck than he had at getting Zechs to move.

The resident gave her a look of exasperation when Zechs nodded once and walked with her down the hall.

She stared at the changing numbers in the elevator, held open the door so he could go out first, all in the most awkward silence she'd ever found herself in with him.

* * *

"They said you were taking me home." He was staring out her car window.

"That's right." She turned a corner. A few more blocks east and then two south. She couldn't help but wonder how he'd react inside their…his…old apartment. "We were living together."

He turned his gaze from the passing buildings to her for a moment. She was blushing slightly. "Living together?" She smirked slightly. He seemed surprised by the information.

"Yeah, we were assigned here together, you told me I could live with you…" Noin didn't know why on earth she was blushing about it. It's not like it was a big secret she had been living with Zechs. _So why does telling him feel like I've been trying to keep it a secret from, oh I don't know, my father or something? _"We were best friends when we were younger, so working together was easy for us, I suppose living together was just as simple."

Zechs merely nodded in understanding. The apartment building was in sight, and he knew it from memory somehow. "It's that one?"

"Yeah that's the one." she answered parking and turning the engine off. "Ready?"

He gave her an odd look. She had parked about three blocks away. "Why park so far away?"

"Free parking. If we parked in the complex parking lot we'd have to pay for it." He gave her an odd look. "Yeah I know it's stupid as hell. Charging us parking fees on top of rent."

A quiet tapping put an end to their conversation.

She groaned and rubbed her head. "Oh it would rain."

Zechs however had already gotten out of the car and started walking toward the apartment complex. Noin in turn quickly got out of the car and ran after him, pulling out a set of keys as she caught up to him. She fumbled with a few of them while he waited patiently for her to unlock the main complex door. "They upped security at these places a few years back." She explained leading up a few flights of stairs and down a hall. She had pulled out a different key and opened the door. "You managed to get the most expensive place here." she said when he looked around in surprise.

"This looks more like a penthouse suite in a large hotel than an apartment."

"That's what your sister said." She answered removing her shoes. She was not going to tell him he had rented the penthouse apartment. She looked at him when he removed his shoes and jacket. He was soaked… "Oh, give me a few seconds." He watched her run down the hall and heard her open something, probably a closet, he reasoned. She returned with a set of towels one of which, she held out to him. "Don't want you getting sick."

He took it and looked over it. Noin could tell he hadn't of all things, forgotten what to do with a towel, it looked more like he was thinking of doing something else. She stopped trying to figure out what he was thinking when she felt the towel against her hair and shoulders. "Don't want you getting sick either." He said quietly when she opened her mouth to speak.

Zechs watched her take the towel she had and carefully help dry him off. She was blushing again. He wasn't sure why but he didn't really care. Even if he couldn't remember things clearly, being near her made him feel more…

_What is it? Do I feel more myself? Can you even claim to be 'yourself' when you can't remember anything?_

He didn't notice her move closer to him.

She didn't realize she had moved closer.

His attention returned to her when he felt the towel against his bare chest. "You're going to get sick for sure if you stay in wet clothes." She bit her lip slightly and handed him the towel. "I'll go get you a change of clothes." He saw his damp shirt in her hand.

_I didn't notice she…_

She took a few steps toward the hall again. She said she was going to get him a change of clothes but…

_Stop her._

He caught hold of her hand. She stopped but did not turn to face him. "Zechs?" She heard his steps on the floor. He had moved closer, much closer. _This is awkward. I shouldn't have…oh hell Noin why did you have to…_ _you just had to get that wet shirt off him?_

Her heart raced. _Yeah I had to get it off him. He'll get sick- terrible excuse. Ugh. Why me? Why did those damn doctors have to set me up for this kind of hell!? I can't make him remember, even if I could, even for a minute, he'd forget in only a few minutes time. So damn selfish… it's so selfish of me to want him so badly still._

She felt her jacket slide off, and then shirt she wore over a tank top. _Fair enough I suppose._ She ignored all thoughts that she'd let him take the rest off. This wasn't the time, it just wasn't the place.

"You'll get sick if you worry too much about me, and fail to take care of yourself." He said quietly in her ear. Something about the very visible shiver it drew from her made him smirk. Not quite like any other man would smirk knowing he had easily sent a shiver through an attractive woman's body. It was one of sheer superiority, pride, and confidence. "Noin, you worry about me too much. Why do you still insist on making sure I am alright, at the expense of your own health?"

She blinked. That didn't sound at all like the Zechs she had been with for days. He sounded like the Zechs that vanished, the one that kept slipping beyond her reach. "Y-you can really recall that?"

"Noin, it was always one of your only bad habits."

"What the hell is going on?" She whispered in frustration. "For days you don't know who I am and then you just suddenly know?"

_I don't know how much longer I will know. _"Noin?"

"What?"

He hesitated. He wasn't sure he wanted to know, if she even knew… "What's going on with me?"

She finally turned to face him. "I-I don't know."

"I figured." He paused for a second. "So our shirts…"

"What about them?" She hoped he wasn't getting at what she thought he was.

"Why are they off?"

Damn he was getting at that. "They're soaked. Zechs you know exactly why they-" But he looked confused again. _No!! No no no no no!! _Gone…gone again. "Zechs…"

He was frustrated. For a minute things had seemed so clear, and now he couldn't remember what had happened. What had he been saying? Why was he so close to her? Why did she look like she was going to cry?

"I'm sorry." He muttered looking down.

"Zechs."

He glanced up slightly when he felt her hand on his cheek, warm, despite the fact that they were both wet and cold.

He didn't know when it happened, he didn't know why, and again, he didn't really care. This was something he knew neither the part of him had experienced. Neither what fragment inside him knew her, recalled her, and what they had been through together, nor the majority of him desperate to remember had felt this. _I don't care if you know why it's happening, I don't care if you understand or not, if you let her go now you are a far greater fool than I ever was._

Zechs did not question what urged him to draw her closer and he questioned not a thing when her lips parted permitting him to deepen the kiss.

If he could remember nothing…

_He doesn't have to remember anything else. I don't care if he doesn't remember in the morning. _

One night could be enough.


End file.
